© IRCT 2026. All rights reserved. Registered Charity Number 1156924
Babies, children, and young people have been overlooked by policy makers for too long and the impact is clear: more children are living in poverty, they face a growing mental health crisis, and are waiting too long to receive urgently needed support.
This is the stark picture presented in a new report from the National Children’s Bureau and a coalition of leading children’s charities including Barnardo’s, Action for Children, NSPCC and The Children’s Society.
A lack of political vision and ambition to improve childhoods is holding the next generation back from reaching their potential.Â
A few weeks ago, our coalition came together at Party Conferences to call for change – so babies and children growing up in the UK today and tomorrow are happier, safer and each have the chance to reach their potential. 
Visit childrenatthetable.org.uk to sign-up and read the report.
On Tuesday 6th February, the Mayor of London launched London’s Inclusion Charter.
Education is key to a child’s development, forming the basis of their ability to hone communication skills, develop critical thinking, and empower them later in life. Since 2018/19, London has seen a 14 per cent rise in suspensions and a 106 per cent increase in persistent absenteeism. This has led to the equivalent of 1,430 children each day having lost learning in 2021/22 – up 71 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels in 18/19.*
We know that children and young people are safer in school. That is why driving up attendance and playing our part in tackling rising suspensions, absenteeism and exclusions is so important.
In November 2023, the University of Bath was commissioned by London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) to undertake a piece of research on inclusion and belonging in schools across all London boroughs.
The primary aim was to capture students’ perspectives on what they need from education to feel the sense of belonging and safety necessary to be included and succeed at school. You can view the headline report from the research which was carried out between November and January with schools across London.
The Mayor also announced that access to Rights Respecting Schools Award offered by UNICEF would be free to all state-funded education settings in London for the next four years.
For more information – London’s Inclusion Charter | London City Hall
IRCT will be supporting and following the work as it develops.
Words Matter is an ambitious new charity on a mission to improve children’s mental and physical health and development by helping to end verbal abuse of children by adults around them.Â
Children’s brains are built in response to the relationships they grow up with, and the words and tones around them, right from the moment they’re born.Â
Warm, encouraging words and stable and secure relationships are the building blocks all children need to grow and thrive – but too many children are growing up without the supportive and loving relationships they need to succeed. Verbal abuse in childhood can actively weaken the foundations of our brains and cause us problems later in life.
Children need us to step in. We all have a responsibility to help children flourish and protect them from verbal abuse – parents, friends, teachers, any of us who care about children.
Two in five children (41%) experience harmful verbal abuse by adults around them. Verbal abuse is often unintentional, but with greater awareness, we can stop it and repair the damage our words can cause. If we know better, we can do better.
Change is possible if we all work together to find lasting solutions that support children and all the people around them. Through research and partnerships, and by raising awareness of the impact of verbal abuse, we can inspire action and fuel the systems change required. Our work will help people to understand verbal abuse of children and how to prevent it.
Many children who are permanently excluded from schools are those who already have a history of adverse childhood experiences and have been traumatised. It is perverse that the children in most need of stability, understanding and support are those who are far more likely to be rejected by the very people who are paid to look after them in loco parentis and prepare them for adulthood.
Many children who are permanently excluded from schools are those who already have a history of adverse childhood experiences and have been traumatised. It is perverse that the children in most need of stability, understanding and support are those who are far more likely to be rejected by the very people who are paid to look after them in loco parentis and prepare them for adulthood.
IRCT share concerns about the increasing number of children who have and continue to be permanently excluded from our schools. Because we are committed to the goal of working towards the elimination of permanent exclusions, we have developed an Exclusion Position Statement. The Exclusion Position Statement provides an overview of our concerns in relation to the current policy context and offers insight into variations in relation to experiences of exclusion.Â
We are particularly concerned about the association between adverse childhood experiences, trauma and exclusion. In the Exclusion Position Statement we recognise previous research which offers useful insights into ways through which schools can support the aspiration to eliminate permanent exclusion. We conclude our Exclusion Position Statement with several recommendations which aim to support individual children, develop whole school approaches and encourage systemic change.
Please join IRCT in collaboratively working towards the aspiration to eliminate permanent exclusions from schools.
You can share your thoughts and experiences via IRCTs Twitter handle @irct_uk using #eliminateexclusion
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Thank you for your support.
© IRCT 2026. All rights reserved. Registered Charity Number 1156924